I’m very much looking to the discussion about this one! For those new to the series a quick recap what it is about:
There always discussions between people when comparing two (very good) movies, which usually comes down to one question:
If you have to pick only one, which is the better film?
My goal is to have that discussion in the comments and see which of the two gets the most support, thus being the better film of the two. This does not mean the other one is bad, it is just to see which one is the preferred choice.
This week’s choice is a very interesting one, because even though these movies are about of the same series they couldn’t be more different.
Alien
Alien is a tense movie set in a relatively cramped space which is best described as a sci-fi horror film.
Aliens
Aliens ups everything: More characters, more aliens and more action. The vibe in this movie is completely different and is better described as an sci-fi action movie.
So if you could only pick one movie, which one would you prefer? Which one is “the better film”?
Well, I imagine my opinion is somewhat worthless since I’ve seen only Alien and not Aliens, but I would still tip the scale in favor of Alien with it being the first film in the series (all the creativity started with the first film!), and it started an interesting series.
You should check out Aliens then. It has a very different feel to it, but it is good. Still personally I’d much rather watch the original though.
“Alien” – I’m not the biggest fan of horror films, but I love this one. It’s intense the whole way through, and the end with the horns and flashing lights takes everything up to eleven–“This is Spinal Tap” reference there. But why it gets the edge over an equally good, though as you say in a completely different way, is that it created a whole new and iconic universe.
I’m with you on not being a big horror film fan but do prefer the first one because it feels more intimate and scary.
Aliens. I love Alien for its sense of horror and the idea of not knowing what anyone is going to face.
What I love about Aliens is that there’s so much more not just in terms of characters and stakes but the fact that there’s more for Ripley and the gang to deal with. Not just the Aliens but the coward in Burke who is a fucking piece of shit who does get his own comeuppance in the film. I also loved it for the mother-daughter thing between Ripley and Newt where Ripley has more going for her in the need to protect Newt as well as be this all-out badass to save Newt and whoever else is fighting with her like Cpl. Hicks and Bishop whom Ripley doesn’t trust early in the film.
I really think Sigourney Weaver should’ve gotten more praise for her performance in that film as I really think it’s one of the most definitive performances in cinema.
I never got into the whole Newt storyline and thought all the extra action didn’t make it as scary or tense as the original. Sigourney Weaver definitely is a good actress, which she proved in these films.
Tough call on this one. I go back and forth on the matter. I’ll give a very slight edge to the original for it being the one that started it. Ask me next week, I’ll probably tell you differently.
I’m with you on the original and in my case I’m not changing my mind 😉
I would have maintained for a while that Aliens was better, but after seeing Alien in the theaters when it was re-released, my mind has changed. Both are great films, but I think the first sets just the right mood and holds up better today.
Happy to hear your mind has changed about this one. Alien is the only right answer 😉
Alien’ introduced the evils of a Lovecraft “Great Old One” crossing path with humanity (kind of) and stands well on its merits. Owes a lot to “It! The Terror from Beyond Space”.
Though, ‘Aliens’ has that 1950s “Us vs. Them. Red Scare” vibe running throughout. Plus an excellent cast of up and coming talent that puts it above its original film. “Similar to Hawks’ ‘The Thing From Another World”. Without the claustrophobia and stepped on dialogue.
PS: Jenette Goldstein (A true chameleon!) ROCKS as Pvt. Vasquez!!!
But which one would you pick as the better one?
Aliens!
You’re wrong 😉
I don’t like to pick, they’re both brilliant. It’s pretty clear that they are very different films by two visionary directors who created some of their best work with the two films. For a long time Aliens was my personal favorite but I think each film has its own qualities and Alien has grown in stature for me as a great scare-fest! I love the energy of Aliens and the fast-paced action just as much as I love the slow-burning tension and oppressive atmosphere of Alien.
It’s very difficult to pick between them, but that’s the idea behind it. I think a lot of people have not watched Aliens recently and I think it has aged quite a bit. Still I understand the love people have for it.
That’s a tough one – I think I’m with Dan above and find it hard to pick as they’re both great films in their own right. I’m glad Cameron didn’t simply try to re-make Ridley Scott’s film when he made Aliens and went for something different (same goes for Jeunet and Fincher, too, even though their attempts were weaker).
If I absolutely had to pick one I’d go for Alien, just because it was the first and it’s so intense. Plus it has the chest-burster scene, which is as amazing today as it was in 1979.
Yeah, that chest burster scene is stunning, especially knowing that the actors themselves didn’t know what was going to happen and the emotions are genuine.
I’m a bit late to the conversation but Alien every time. I missed the horror, the atmosphere and how truly terrifying the Alien was in the first movie. The second is good, the first is so much better.
I completely agree with you Ben, I had never seen the movies until about two or three years ago and after watching the first two not too long after each other I had that feeling as well. The atmosphere in the second one was more eighties action movie than tense and “hold your breath” suspense.